Bette Reynolds, a 76-year-old grandmother from Scotland, amazed judges and viewers with her performance of ‘Rapper’s Delight’ on The Voice UK. She became the show’s oldest contestant ever.
Bette Reynolds was born in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, but now lives in Ontario, Canada. She made history on The Voice UK stage as the oldest person to ever compete on the show. Everyone was surprised when she chose to sing ‘Rapper’s Delight’ by The Sugarhill Gang. No one expected a grandmother to rap!
As Bette started singing, the whole room changed. The audience began to cheer and clap. The cameras showed the judges smiling and enjoying the performance. Bette didn’t miss a word or beat of the famous rap song.
Two of the judges, Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones from the band McFly, turned their chairs for Bette. This meant she got to stay in the competition and join Team Tom and Dan.
When asked why she chose that song, Bette said, “My grandchildren like to listen to rap, and I thought, ‘Maybe I should try this’. So they came up with rappers they liked to see just how I would do with it.”
Bette’s story before The Voice UK is just as inspiring. She learned to sing when she was five and was trained in classical music. But she hadn’t been on stage since 1966.
Life took her in a different direction when she fell in love, got married, and had a family. Music took a back seat while she focused on being a wife and mother.
Recently, Bette took care of her husband, Stewart, who had dementia. Sadly, Stewart passed away in January, just months before Bette’s audition. This loss was hard, but it pushed Bette to return to music.
Bette decided to try out for The Voice UK the next month to honor Stewart’s memory and start a new chapter in her life.
After her performance, Bette shared, “We’ve been through a rough time this year. I’ve been a caregiver to my husband for a long time and unfortunately he just passed away. But he was a fun guy and I said ‘No, we’re going through with it, we keep on going’. It’s just remarkable. It’s a blessing.”
The judges loved Bette’s performance and the joy she brought to the stage. LeAnn Rimes said, “The crowd were so into it which was awesome – I loved it.”
Sir Tom Jones was surprised by Bette’s young-sounding voice. He said, “I thought it was a young person! I thought it was a little girl singing it or something. I mean, my God! It sounded like you were having fun and it was great – I loved it.”
Will.i.am, another judge, was so moved that he ran onto the stage to hug Bette. He called her “the best.” Later, when Bette mentioned she had been practicing one of his songs backstage, will.i.am joined her on stage. They sang The Black Eyed Peas’ song ‘I Gotta Feeling’ together, and the crowd went wild.
Bette was already popular on social media before she went on The Voice UK. She has over 60,000 followers who watch her funny music videos. She sings songs like ‘I’m Your Granny’ and ‘I’m on the Bus Y’all’. These videos caught the eye of The Voice UK producers, which led to her audition.
Bette’s performance touched people watching at home too. Many shared their thoughts online. One person wrote on YouTube, “I was having a very sad day UNTIL I heard Bette! SHE BROUGHT PURE JOY TO MY HEART!”
Another said, “This IS the best audition EVERRRRR.”
Now Bette moves on to the battle phase of the competition. She’ll compete one-on-one with other contestants. As she continues, she has the support of her family and new fans. She’s also carrying the memory of her late husband. We can’t wait to see her next performance.
WATCH: 76-Year-Old Grandma Gives Epic Performance of ‘Rapper’s Delight’ on The Voice
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